Chapter 57: Loyalty and Filial Piety

  It was night, Fang Zidao was playing with an invitation in his hand, the signer on the invitation was the former logistics officer of the Eighth Division of the original army, Japanese advisor Toda Ichiro. Fang Zidao had been relieved of his duties in Nanjing for only a few days, and Toda's term as an advisor had also come to an end. He thought he had returned to Japan long ago, but unexpectedly he came to Beijing and even found himself at the gate alone.

  When Toda visited, Fang Zidao had just gone to Song's house and left a special invitation for him to attend a dinner party at the Liu Guo Restaurant that evening. As for this Japanese man, Fang Zidao has always been vigilant, and he also guessed one or two things about Toda's true identity as an advisor.

  To be honest, what kind of tricks Toda is playing, Fang Zida still can't figure out completely, but judging from his feelings, it's definitely not something good. No one offers kindness without a reason, either deceitful or thieving, that's how the Japanese have always been, and Fang Zida has deeply experienced this in business dealings with them many times before.

  However, no matter what tricks he played, Fang Zidao was not afraid. When he was in Nanjing, he had thought it over carefully and realized that the Japanese would use him at most. As for being used, Fang Zidao didn't mind at all - if the Japanese were using him, wasn't he also using them? The key thing was to achieve his own goals. For example, with regards to Chen Qimei's case, Fang Zidao of course understood that Fujita's betrayal would not be for any good reason and it was impossible that he had a passion for China as he claimed. But for Fang Zidao, no matter what the reason was, Chen Qimei was someone who must be caught.

  Fang Zidao was different from the people of this era, he had his own ideas and judgments, and would not be constrained by any moral frameworks. To put it bluntly, he was a pure businessman at heart, and in the business world, you die or I live, Fang Zidao had seen too much, hitting a snake without killing it would only bring harm to oneself, being indecisive would never achieve great things. Just like Chen Qimei, this revolutionary party's hardliner, who had lost a hundred battles but still refused to give up, as long as he was free, he was extremely formidable. Fang Zidao absolutely would not allow Chen Qimei to escape so easily and have another chance to rise again.

  Of course, Chen Qimei's final suicide was also beyond Fang Zidao's expectations. Originally, he only wanted to capture Chen Qimei and let him spend the rest of his life in prison after a trial by law. Who would have thought that he would kill himself in anger? But it's good that he's dead, one less problem. If possible, Fang Zidao wouldn't mind if Sun Wen ended up like Chen Qimei either.

  After some thought, Fang Ziduo threw the invitation aside and found Zhou Saner to instruct him in detail. He arranged for someone to stake out Toda Ichiro at the Liu Guo restaurant and report back on any developments.

  "Central Bank?"

  Yuan Shikai looked at the report submitted by Song Jiaoren and couldn't help but ask: "Isn't there a Bank of Communications? If Fang Zhenming wants to be the general manager, why is it necessary to split the Bank of Communications?"

  "What does Fang Zidao mean? What does he want to do!" Liang Shiyi's face was extremely ugly, knowing that he is now the general manager of the Bank of Communications, and the Bank of Communications is actually the purse of the Beiyang clique. The actual power of the general manager of the Bank of Communications is not under the Minister of Finance. If Fang Zidao's opinion is followed, splitting the Bank of Communications and establishing a central bank, canceling the original currency issuance rights of the Bank of Communications, what position can he still hold as the Secretary-General of the Presidential Palace and the General Manager of the Bank of Communications? It would be strange if he didn't get angry!

  "Don't be angry, brother Wing, I just presented Fang Zhenming's request to the President. Seeing Liang Shiyu's reaction, Song Jiaoren explained with a smile, but in his heart he was secretly pleased."

  He relied on Yuan Shikai's trust and held the power of the Bank of Communications, never putting himself in a humble position. The main funds for the post-disaster loan were all stored in the Bank of Communications, and without Liang Shiyi's permission, the Ministry of Finance could not move them at all. There were several times when Song Jiaoren came to Liang Shiyi because of financial problems, but was rejected every time. If Yuan Shikai hadn't intervened by issuing an order, the Ministry of Finance would have been unable to operate.

  "Fang Zidao is being outrageous! He...he has ulterior motives! Mr. President, you absolutely cannot agree to his request!" Before Yuan Shikai could speak, Liang Shiyu's face turned black as he flatly refused, his emotions extremely agitated. Originally, he didn't get along with Fang Zidao, and this matter directly related to his own power, so it would be strange if he didn't argue back.

  "Whenever something big happens, there is a calm atmosphere! Husband, you're thirsty, go drink some water...". Yuan Shikai suddenly said coldly, and Liang Shiyu's body shook instantly after hearing it. He hastily retreated to the side, not even daring to breathe loudly, and picked up his tea cup to take small sips.

  Yuan Shikai still attaches great importance to Liang Shiyi, his trusted aide. However, Liang's blatant reaction today has left Yuan displeased. As the President of the Republic and a prominent Beiyang warlord, Yuan had not even spoken yet, let alone Premier Song Jiaoren, who was also present. Liang, as the Secretary-General of the Presidential Palace, had overstepped his bounds by speaking out of turn.

  "Is the power in Liang Shiyi's hands too great?" Originally, Yuan Shikai didn't have this idea, but today's events made him think of it. Usually, whether it was Yang Du or Xia Shoutian, they often criticized Liang Shiyi in front of him and raised objections to some of his actions. However, due to Yuan Shikai's consistent trust, Liang Shiyi's position was not affected, but instead, because of his loyalty, he appointed Liang Shiyi as the general manager of the Bank of Communications after taking office as President.

  His right hand rested on the edge of the table, his middle finger tapping lightly. Yuan Shikai seemed to be pondering something, and after a while he said: "This matter is important and requires caution. This thing will be left with me for now, let me think about it carefully, and I'll get back to you in a few days. What do you think, Xunchu?"

  "This is natural! For such a major event, it's only natural for the President to consider benevolence. Besides, Mr. President, there's another matter that needs to be reported to you."

  "What else is there?"

  Song Jiaoren smiled and said, "It's about the formal constitution, criminal law, civil law and other legal systems. I plan to submit a legislative proposal to Congress in the near future, hoping that the President will support it."

  "Haha, of course, rest assured and submit it, I will fully support it!" Yuan Shikai smiled and agreed in one breath. As for the proposal to formulate a constitution, Yuan Shikai had already considered it. It was only natural for a country to enact laws, and as the President, he had no reason to refuse. Moreover, at present, there were not many things going on in the National Assembly, and these members of parliament were not easy to deal with. They couldn't be allowed to idle around too much, or they would easily stir up trouble. For now, it was still peaceful, so it was better to give them something to do first, lest they get bored and start making trouble for themselves again.

  After Song Jiaoren left, Liang Shiyi hastily opened his mouth to persuade: "Mr. President, this Bank of Communications is the lifeline of my Beiyang! Who is Fang Zidao? A KMT person! The confidant of Song Jiaoren! Song Jiaoren wants to undermine your foundation! You absolutely cannot agree to this matter, it's better to allocate some money for them to set up their own bank, why must they split the Bank of Communications?"

  "It's settled! I have made up my mind on this matter!" He raised his hand to stop Liang Shiyi from continuing, Yuan Shikai couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, but seeing Liang Shiyi's hesitant and fearful expression, he couldn't help but sigh and comfort him: "Yifeng, I know your loyalty, go back with peace of mind, don't worry about this matter."

  "Yes...yes..." Liang Shiwei nodded humbly and took his leave.

  Out of the Presidential Palace, Liang Shiyi's face turned iron-green and he stomped his feet in anger, cursing the ancestors of Song Jiaoren and Fang Zidao. Having been by Yuan Shikai's side for a long time, he knew Yuan's temperament well and could tell that his last few words had a different meaning. It seems that whether or not the Bank of Communications will be split up in the future, his own position is precarious.

  After Liang Shiyi left, Yuan Shikai thought to himself that he had originally planned to invite Yang Duan and others over to discuss this matter thoroughly. However, after careful consideration, he realized that Yang Duan and the others had never gotten along with Liang Shiyi, and would definitely not let go of this opportunity to kick him while he was down. As for the opinions of Duan Qirui and others, Yuan Shikai did not consider them for the time being. These political affairs were best left untouched by military men, and although Old Yuan had become somewhat senile in recent years, there were still some things that he grasped firmly.

  "Dad, this is a ginseng tea brewed by your son, try some..."

  At the sound of his voice, he looked up to see his eldest son, Yuan Keding, hobbling in with a cup of tea in his hands, bowing respectfully and presenting it to him.

  He nodded slightly, took over the teacup and tasted it: "Hmm, this is a high-quality Korean ginseng tea, which is not common nowadays."

  As he sipped his tea, Yuan Shikai couldn't help but think of his past experiences in Korea. Since the defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, Korea had become a Japanese colony, and the high-quality ginseng tea that was once easily available was now a rare commodity. His eldest son, Yuan Keding, had somehow managed to get hold of this tea as a tribute to him, showing that the young man did have some filial piety.

  "How have your legs been lately? Does it still hurt on rainy days?" Putting down the teacup, Yuan Shikai looked at Yuan Keding standing beside him with his hands hanging down and pointed to a chair next to him: "Sit down, don't run around if your feet are not convenient. Let the servants do such small things as serving tea and water from now on."

  "Thank you, Father, for your concern. I am fine and unharmed. Moreover, Father is busy with state affairs, working tirelessly day and night. I, Kl, am not capable enough to share Father's worries, but as a son, I should serve by Father's side." In front of Yuan Shikai, the spoiled young master Yuan Kedong was like a filial and obedient good boy.

  "Satisfied...". He nodded his head in satisfaction, and the usually strict Yuan Shikai showed a relieved smile in front of his children, picked up his teacup and drank it all at once, then put it down casually.

  Yuan Keding saw him finish drinking and hurried over to collect the cup. Unintentionally, he caught sight of a report placed on one side and couldn't help but take a few glances.

  "Fang Zida? Central Bank?"

  "Do you also know Fang Zidao?" Yuan Shikai asked casually as he heard Yuan Keding's soft exclamation.

  "Heh heh, of course I know. Father, you don't know yet, but Fang Zida and my son have a pretty good relationship." Yuan Keding replied with some pride.